As many of you know, thousands of veterans take their own lives every year, and I've tried to use my platforms and shows to call attention to a myriad of bottom-up solutions that have helped these troubled men and women. Among the more memorable efforts was a program in South Florida that took veterans on python hunts in the Everglades and a garage in Indiana that taught veterans how to repair and rehabilitate old motorcycles. All of these initiatives worked to varying degrees, thanks to a devoted individual committed to ending the scourge of veteran suicide. But no one has come close to the success rate currently enjoyed by Black Horse Forge, and the man behind it—Steve Hotz.

Long story short, Steve came home from the wars battered and broken. Countless jumps from airplanes had compressed his spine, and a battlefield injury cost him an eye. At his lowest point, desperate for some kind of emotional relief, he started working with an old forge, hammering chunks of metal into something useful. The work provided a kind of relief he couldn't get from traditional therapy, and soon, Steve was hooked. So, he opened his forge to veterans in distress and built a community. When I met him, several months ago, 22,000 vets had come through Black Horse Forge—many as battered and broken as he once was. As of today, there have been zero suicides.